This invention relates to dewatering iron ore concentrates for use in iron and steel making.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,292,780 teaches an iron benefication process in which a dispersion of finely ground iron ore of a primarily nonmagnetic type is subjected to preferential flocculation of iron oxides to remove slimed silica prior to treatment of the deslimed residue by conventional flotation methods.
Following the conventional flotation it is desirable to pelletize the iron concentrate slurry for transporting purposes. Therefore, the slurry is then thickened and filtered to dewater the slurry.
Frequently, the required dewatering for pelletization is not achieved by ordinary vacuum filtration or even steam assisted vacuum filtration.